Missing teen's housemates to face murder charges
The housemates of missing teen Pheobe Bishop are set to appear in court after being charged with the 17-year-old's murder.
James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, were arrested in southern Queensland's Bundaberg area on Thursday night.
It marked three weeks to the day after Pheobe missed a flight and vanished.
Wood and Bromley were also charged with two counts each of interfering with a corpse.
Pheobe's remains are yet to be located, police said.
Pheobe's mother Kylie Johnson said on Thursday night her family had been "shattered".
Ms Johnson had been posting on social media almost every day since her daughter's "suspicious" disappearance pleading for information.
"Our world has just been shattered into the most horrific place I've ever been…" she wrote on Thursday night.
"I need my baby home to put her to rest! I'm absolutely begging anyone that knows anything to come forward.
"We need to put her to rest, we need to put her to peace."
Wood and Bromley are set to appear in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday.
Police will address the media at a press conference in Bundaberg from 9am AEST on Friday.
"Detectives continue to investigate this matter, and physical searches will continue as needed as information is provided," a Queensland Police statement said.
Pheobe was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend.
CCTV footage indicated Pheobe never arrived at the airport terminal.
Wood had previously been taken into custody on Wednesday but was released several hours later without charge.
The search for Pheobe was scaled back on Wednesday after police had spent weeks combing several areas of interest in southern Queensland.
One of those areas was a property in Gin Gin where Pheobe had lived with Wood and Bromley.
The Gin Gin property near Bundaberg and a grey Hyundai ix35, thought to have been used to take Pheobe to the airport, were declared crime scenes soon after her disappearance which police described as suspicious.
The police search at one stage focused on Good Night Scrub national park, an hour's drive from Bundaberg airport, with homicide detectives, cadaver dogs and divers called in.
Some items believed to be linked to the investigation were seized for forensic examination.
The search revealed evidence might have been moved from the national park before police arrived.
Wood and Bromley had earlier been charged with unrelated weapons offences.
The heartbreaking toll of Pheobe's disappearance had been documented by Ms Johnson's social media posts as they held onto hope.
"I don't know if life will ever be the same again? I don't know if I will ever look at the world the same way that I did before May 15th," Ms Johnson posted on Wednesday.
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Perth Now
26 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Vigil for Pheobe to follow grim bush discovery
A planned vigil in memory of slain teenager Pheobe Bishop will go ahead after police discovered human remains in national parkland. The find was made in "unforgiving" terrain southwest of Bundaberg, with investigators aiming to also recover the 17-year-old's missing luggage expected to wind up their efforts on Saturday evening. Officers discovered what were believed to be the teenager's remains about 2.30pm on Friday near Goodnight Scrub National Park, some 280km northeast of Brisbane and 9km from an earlier search site. Pheobe's housemates, James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, faced Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday, three weeks to the day after she missed a flight and vanished. Prosecutors allege the pair moved Pheobe's body multiple times. Her local community of Gin Gin has thrown its arms around Pheobe's family, with floral tributes laid outside the property she shared with Wood and Bromley. The community will hold a candlelight vigil at Kolan Community Park between 4pm and 6pm on Sunday. Locals have been asked to wear bright colours and butterflies. A second candlelight vigil will be held at Buss Park in nearby Bundaberg on Monday from 5pm. Well-wishers have left tributes on social media sites advertising the events. "May the love and light of the community surround Pheobe's family and friends during this difficult time, and may her spirit fly free R.I.P. sweet angel," one read on Saturday. Mayor Helen Blackburn told AAP on Friday she believed the Bundaberg community to be a kind and accepting one. "To have this tragedy happen in our region ... it's been very difficult trying to make sense of it," she said. "We now need to come together as a community, support and care for one another as we try to move forward." Pheobe was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend. Police allege Wood and Bromley drove Pheobe close to the airport but no one got out of the car. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield revealed on Saturday the remains found at Goodnight Scrub were not buried but declined to offer specifics. "They were found in bushland ... coupled with snippets of information and telecommunications data; that's allowed us to find this location," he said. "It's an unforgiving terrain." Insp Mansfield confirmed the missing luggage had not been located. He said forensic searches of a home in Gin Gin had not identified anything significant. The town also rallied around the missing teen's family during the search for her with a Leave the Lights On for Pheobe campaign. Some posted photos online of their front lights switched on "to guide Pheobe home". Wood and Bromley have been remanded in custody ahead of their next court appearance on August 11.
9 News
9 hours ago
- 9 News
Pheobe Bishop 'lit up' every room she walked into, best friend says
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Tributes have begun to pour in for Pheobe Bishop after police searching for the missing Bundaberg teenager found human remains. Police today confirmed the remains, found yesterday on a back road near the Good Night Scrub National Park, about an hour away from Pheobe's home in Gin Gin, are human. Further testing is being carried out, but police believe they belong to the 17-year-old. Tributes have begun to pour in for Pheobe Bishop. (Nine) Her mother, Kylie Johnson, said the news has ripped her apart. "I didn't think my heart could break anymore than it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid but this, this is ripping me apart," she said yesterday. Pheobe's best friend, Mikayla Howarth, has paid tribute and set up a floral memorial in Camden, in Sydney's south-west. "I've never met anyone in my entire life who had such a kind heart that she had," Howarth told 9News. "She was so beautiful, and every room she walked into just lit up, and she was just so happy." Pheobe's community is holding a candlelight vigil tomorrow in Gin Gin. People are being asked to wear bright colours and butterflies. "I think the community is absolutely reeling," Bundaberg mayor Helen Blackburn said. "We've had a few horrific weeks here in our Bundaberg region, and this is very unlike anything that we've had to experience before." Pheobe's best friend, Mikayla Howarth, has paid tribute, (Nine) Bouquets and letters are piling up on the road where Pheobe is believed to have been last seen, near Bundaberg Airport. "Forever 17," some of the letters read. Pheobe's housemates, 34-year-old James Wood and his partner, 33-year-old Tanika Bromley, were charged with one count of murder and two counts each of interfering with a corpse after they were arrested in Bundaberg on Thursday night. Pheobe went missing after she failed to check in and board her flight to Western Australia from Bundaberg Airport on May 15. Three crime scenes have been declared — Pheobe's home she shared with her housemates in Gin Gin, her housemate's grey Hyundai and the site where the remains were found near Good Night Scrub National Park. Investigations remain ongoing. Police continue to appeal for any information about Pheobe or the movement of her housemate's grey Hyundai IX35 with registration 414EW3 between May 15 to 18 in the greater Gin Gin area. bundaberg queensland national Australia missing persons murder courts crime police CONTACT US Auto news:Is this the next Subaru WRX? Mysterious performance car teased.
Sky News AU
9 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Donations pour in for fundraiser set up in memory of Pheobe Bishop with money set to be devoted to support community services
A fundraiser has been set up in memory of 17-year-old Pheobe Bishop, after police located human remains in their search for the missing teenager. However, instead of the money going towards the family of Pheobe, the touching decision has been made to direct the money towards an important cause in what has been described as a way to make a "real impact" in honour of her. The teenager was reported missing more than three weeks ago in the regional Queensland town of Gin Gin after she mysteriously vanished hours before she was due to catch a flight from Bundaberg Airport to Western Australia to visit her boyfriend. Detectives on Thursday charged her housemates James Wood, 34, and his partner Tanika Bromley, 33, with Pheobe's alleged murder and tampering of her body. Then about 24 hours later, police confirmed they had found suspected human remains in an area near Good Night Scrub National Park on Friday afternoon. The fundraiser was set up by family friend Tracey Berends, who said it has beencreated in order to "raise awareness for missing persons and children". "On May 15 2025, our world was shattered when Pheobe Bishop, a bright, kind-hearted, and deeply loved young woman, was taken from us far too soon. Her life was tragically cut short, and those responsible are now in custody," a message on the official Gofundme page reads. "After speaking with Pheobe's family, we have decided to honour her memory in a way that reflects the compassion and light she brought into the lives of so many. "This GoFundMe has been created as a way for our community to donate and support the services like the SES who volunteer their time without reimbursement and have played an integral part of finding missing loved ones in our community." The fundraiser has also pledged to donate to the YSchool in Bundaberg where Pheobe attended. Pheobe's mother Kylie Johnson posted on Facebook that the fundraiser was "supported by the family". "Everyone is wanting to assist and this is how we can give back in honour of Phee," she said. Ms Berends said it was "more than a fundraiser" and that all funds raised "will be donated to these carefully chosen community groups that work to support our Wide Bay community". "This is more than a fundraiser—this is a tribute to a beautiful life, and a call to action to protect the most vulnerable in our communities. "Please donate if you are able, and share this campaign so we can make a real impact in Phoebe's honour. Let us come together, in grief and in hope, to ensure Pheobe's light continues to shine." In the hours since the fundraiser was published, more than 50 people have already donated, while more than $2800 has been raised towards the $17,000 target.
